February 25, 2010
Wishful Thinking...
I love the Olympics, and I am falling in love with pole dancing. There is talk about making it an Olympic sport. How amazing would that be?!?!
February 24, 2010
Barcelona- Cont'd
We spent the next 2 days walking around Barcelona and enjoying the Gaudi sites and the sidewalk cafes. The weather was miserable on one day which made me miserable which turned me into a not-so-fun-to-travel with b@#$@...Poor BF!
As we were walking around, we randomly found a Vietnamese restaurant. SCORE! We just had breakfast so decided to go see the sites and then come back. Imagine my devastation when we got back there and they were closing! (I dragged BF back the next day though.) Strangely enough, right down the street was an Irish cafe. (It's like the street was made for us!)
Park Guell - Gaudi's work
Finally, the reason why we went to Barcelona in the first place. The very first time BF and I celebrated our anniversary, we went to this Tapas restaurant in Boston. We were mere children and so we thought it was so different and fancy and so grown-up. Every year since, we celebrate our anniversary at a tapas restaurant (wherever we happen to be). This year we thought it would be lovely to celebrate it in the home of tapas!
Celebratory Dinner
As we were walking around, we randomly found a Vietnamese restaurant. SCORE! We just had breakfast so decided to go see the sites and then come back. Imagine my devastation when we got back there and they were closing! (I dragged BF back the next day though.) Strangely enough, right down the street was an Irish cafe. (It's like the street was made for us!)
Park Guell - Gaudi's work
Finally, the reason why we went to Barcelona in the first place. The very first time BF and I celebrated our anniversary, we went to this Tapas restaurant in Boston. We were mere children and so we thought it was so different and fancy and so grown-up. Every year since, we celebrate our anniversary at a tapas restaurant (wherever we happen to be). This year we thought it would be lovely to celebrate it in the home of tapas!
Celebratory Dinner
February 23, 2010
Barcelona Rendez- Vous
After finishing up in Zurich, I had a special rendez-vous with BF in Barcelona. We had planned the trip ages ago before my work trip so I didn't know it was going to be so back-to-back. I stayed overnight in London as there was no direct flight and met BF early Saturday morning in Barcelona. It was lovely! The sun was shining although it was a bit chilly. We usually have no agenda when we travel so we wandered around for the first day. Below are some of the key highlights.
MEAT (!!!) at the Boqueria Market
Statue along the port
Casa Mila La Pidrera- Gaudi
After a lot of walking, sunshine and early flights, BF and I were exhausted. We followed the Spanish tradition and took a looooooooong siesta since we wanted to be energised for our evening event- a Barcelona Futbol match! It was rather cold, but we didn't mind as the energy in the stadium was fab. Highlight of the match-- Thierry Henry. He definitely had a hand ball- looks like it wasn't just a one time mistake.
Camp Nou
Before the start of the match
Final Score
MEAT (!!!) at the Boqueria Market
Statue along the port
Casa Mila La Pidrera- Gaudi
After a lot of walking, sunshine and early flights, BF and I were exhausted. We followed the Spanish tradition and took a looooooooong siesta since we wanted to be energised for our evening event- a Barcelona Futbol match! It was rather cold, but we didn't mind as the energy in the stadium was fab. Highlight of the match-- Thierry Henry. He definitely had a hand ball- looks like it wasn't just a one time mistake.
Camp Nou
Before the start of the match
Final Score
February 21, 2010
Kid in a Candy shop
Before going to the Zurich office, I had heard so much about it. It's an engineering office (which means ridiculous perks - more ridiculous then ours) and it's just aMAZing. I can't really describe it so here are just a couple of my favorite pictures from the office.
Igloo from an Antarctic expedition (with my penguin friend)
Sound advice for sliding down the fireman pole
Midday bath in the relaxation room
A slide-yes a SLIDE- into the cafeteria
SCORE!
Relaxing in the igloo
Meeting rooms
Igloo from an Antarctic expedition (with my penguin friend)
Sound advice for sliding down the fireman pole
Midday bath in the relaxation room
A slide-yes a SLIDE- into the cafeteria
SCORE!
Relaxing in the igloo
Meeting rooms
February 17, 2010
Zurich - Sihlcity
Work work work! I headed to Zurich this morning for a full two day training session. Although it doesn't sound like the most fun, I do get to go to the Zurich office which is suppose to be aMAZing. Also, there are limited flights out of Dublin, so I had to take a full day to travel which is nice because I got to walk around the city a bit before starting work.
The hotel I'm staying at is in the Sihlcity region which is not the main part of town so when walking around I don't get the whole Swiss- Yodelers-Heidi-Ricola- feel....booo! But there is a shopping mall right next door (They know me so well!).
Some pics from my walk today. It looks depressing and gray because it IS depressing and gray (today anyways).
The hotel I'm staying at is in the Sihlcity region which is not the main part of town so when walking around I don't get the whole Swiss- Yodelers-Heidi-Ricola- feel....booo! But there is a shopping mall right next door (They know me so well!).
Some pics from my walk today. It looks depressing and gray because it IS depressing and gray (today anyways).
February 16, 2010
Happy Pancake Day!
Also known as Shrove Tuesday which historically has a lot to do with sins and Catholics and repentance. Essentially, it's preparing yourself and your family for Lent- similar to the French's Mardi Gras- ie...stuff your face with delicious foods today cause you're suppose to be fasting for the next 40 days.
They had custom pancakes at work this morning. I had mine with some nutella and fruit. YUM!
The smear of nutella doesn't look delish, but trust me it was!
They had custom pancakes at work this morning. I had mine with some nutella and fruit. YUM!
The smear of nutella doesn't look delish, but trust me it was!
February 15, 2010
All hail the (ex) chief
We had a special guest in the office today... Mary Robinson, first FEMALE president of Ireland.
There was a Q&A session and she was great although, you could tell she was a politician by the way she answered her questions - bringing it always back to issues that she cared about. Still, it was great to see the former president of Ireland and hear her perspectives on a variety of topics including global warming, the EU and my favorite, work-life balance!
There was a Q&A session and she was great although, you could tell she was a politician by the way she answered her questions - bringing it always back to issues that she cared about. Still, it was great to see the former president of Ireland and hear her perspectives on a variety of topics including global warming, the EU and my favorite, work-life balance!
February 14, 2010
A Very Vietnamese Valentine's
Not only is it Valentine's day today, it's also Tet, Vietnamese New Year! They use the same lunar calendar as the Chinese and as you can imagine the Vietnamese contingency here in Dublin is rather lacking so BF and I decided to celebrate with the Chinese community instead.
We headed down to the Capel Street/Jervis Center area because there was a festival on. You could spot the red Ferris wheel a mile away so I was really excited about seeing what Dublin could pull together. I got to the square and was greeted by.... Peruvian handicraft, German Pretzels and bratwurst and Irish chocolates... not too authentic, eh, Dublin? There was a small stage with some weird tai chi going on led by an Irish man dressed in an asian silk robe...err...what?. It took BF and I literally 3 minutes to see everything. No fireworks, no dragon dance...booo....We then decided to continue the festivities at a restaurant around the corner where we indulged in yummy, pretty authentic Chinese food.
Deceptive Ferris Wheel
Yummy Lunch!
After lunch, we headed to our favorite spot on Valentine's day.... the Carmelite Whitefriars Street church....why you ask? St. Valentine's bones are here. ROMANCE! We found this little church last year and was able to see the box that held the bones and (a smige of blood) from St. Valentine's. We thought it would be nice to pop by and say Hi again this year.
We headed down to the Capel Street/Jervis Center area because there was a festival on. You could spot the red Ferris wheel a mile away so I was really excited about seeing what Dublin could pull together. I got to the square and was greeted by.... Peruvian handicraft, German Pretzels and bratwurst and Irish chocolates... not too authentic, eh, Dublin? There was a small stage with some weird tai chi going on led by an Irish man dressed in an asian silk robe...err...what?. It took BF and I literally 3 minutes to see everything. No fireworks, no dragon dance...booo....We then decided to continue the festivities at a restaurant around the corner where we indulged in yummy, pretty authentic Chinese food.
Deceptive Ferris Wheel
Yummy Lunch!
After lunch, we headed to our favorite spot on Valentine's day.... the Carmelite Whitefriars Street church....why you ask? St. Valentine's bones are here. ROMANCE! We found this little church last year and was able to see the box that held the bones and (a smige of blood) from St. Valentine's. We thought it would be nice to pop by and say Hi again this year.
February 12, 2010
It's offical ...
I just signed up for the Cork Marathon for June 7th. YEAH!
But I am cheating just the tiniest bit... I'm doing it relay style with some gal pals. I know I know- not a marathon. After running the half marathon last year, I had NO desire whatsoever to run a marathon- double what I just ran? No thanks!
The gals and I wanted to do a weekend away this year and we thought about going away for the Kinsale 7's with two other group of friends but we decided that it would get too messy with all the drinking. Instead we're taking a girly, spa running weekend away in June. There will be six of us, and we're divided into two teams. The most anyone has to run is 10 miles which doesn't seem too bad.
I'll be gearing up for my first training run tomorrow morning!
But I am cheating just the tiniest bit... I'm doing it relay style with some gal pals. I know I know- not a marathon. After running the half marathon last year, I had NO desire whatsoever to run a marathon- double what I just ran? No thanks!
The gals and I wanted to do a weekend away this year and we thought about going away for the Kinsale 7's with two other group of friends but we decided that it would get too messy with all the drinking. Instead we're taking a girly, spa running weekend away in June. There will be six of us, and we're divided into two teams. The most anyone has to run is 10 miles which doesn't seem too bad.
I'll be gearing up for my first training run tomorrow morning!
February 10, 2010
FINALLY!!!
I went UPSIDE DOWN last night in dance class. To me, this is the pole dancing equivalent of running my first 5k. So exciting!
February 9, 2010
London Calling
This weekend my friend, JG, had an extended layover in London from her trip back from India so I decided to meet her for a bit of girliness and shopping (and to swap woeful tales of mosquito bites and curry). I left early on an eventful-Jedward-filled Saturday morning and got to the Kensington area of London around 2.
We proceeded them to eat our way around the Kensington area- stopping in different pubs for appetizers, moving on to another for main courses and then ending up at a small cafe for desserts- all the while indulging in bottles of wine.
It made for a very giggly first trip to Harrod's.
Below are some of my favorite pictures.
Required phone booth shot
Meat hall at Harrod's - a-MAZ-ing
Me and the Harrod's Bear
The next morning, we headed over to check out the Camden Markets. I had never been and really enjoyed myself although I didn't buy anything. My 14 year-old, alternative-hippie self would have loved it though- Doc Martens, hippie skirts and dresses, silver jewelry. It would have been heaven.
Camden Market
Finally after walking around in the cold for ages, we looked for a place for dinner. I was hoping to go Vietnamese as there is no good place (or any place at all) for it here in Dublin. We were on a slightly tight schedule so we walked to a restaurant we saw near our hotel. I was salivating thinking about the big bowl of Pho soup I was going to have and when we got there... it...was...CLOSED! BOO! I did see this in a au bon pain type of shop- take away pho! I didn't get a chance to try it, but will definitely next time I'm in London.
We proceeded them to eat our way around the Kensington area- stopping in different pubs for appetizers, moving on to another for main courses and then ending up at a small cafe for desserts- all the while indulging in bottles of wine.
It made for a very giggly first trip to Harrod's.
Below are some of my favorite pictures.
Required phone booth shot
Meat hall at Harrod's - a-MAZ-ing
Me and the Harrod's Bear
The next morning, we headed over to check out the Camden Markets. I had never been and really enjoyed myself although I didn't buy anything. My 14 year-old, alternative-hippie self would have loved it though- Doc Martens, hippie skirts and dresses, silver jewelry. It would have been heaven.
Camden Market
Finally after walking around in the cold for ages, we looked for a place for dinner. I was hoping to go Vietnamese as there is no good place (or any place at all) for it here in Dublin. We were on a slightly tight schedule so we walked to a restaurant we saw near our hotel. I was salivating thinking about the big bowl of Pho soup I was going to have and when we got there... it...was...CLOSED! BOO! I did see this in a au bon pain type of shop- take away pho! I didn't get a chance to try it, but will definitely next time I'm in London.
February 8, 2010
Dublin Celebrity Sightings
Saturday morning I woke up early to catch my flight to London for a girly shopping trip. As I walked into the airport, I heard children singing. Random, right? So I walked over to where I heard the singing (arrivals gate) and saw MASSIVES of teenage girls holding signs for....JEDWARD.
In case you have been living under a rock- or not in Ireland :)- Jedward are two talentless but lovable twins who were contestants on the X-Factor. This would be the US equivalent of running into Adam Lambert. The girls were singing JedWard's "Hit" song - Under Pressure which is indeed a remake of David Bowie's song with the Vanilla Ice's twist. err... Yes I do have it on my ipod. For shame!
I waited a bit since I was there early and managed to get a glimpse of them. They are ridiculous! ;) They came out of arrivals jumping up and down like they do on the X Factor and one even did a cartwheel before they got mobbed by fans. Fun fun!
Here's the best shot I could get with my camera. Their hair is actually about 5 inches high. Impressive! Can you spot one of them in this picture? It's kind of hard to see, so I thought I would help you out.
I texted BF to let him know because last time he was at the airport he sat next to Colm Meaney, a popular Irish actor and JedWard certainly beats Colm Meaney.
But then, on Sunday I got a text from BF that he ran into Paul O'Connell at the G-Star store in Dundrum shopping center. Paul is a member of the Irish Rugby team who played this week in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament. BF said he looked the worse for wear from the match and was a bit bruised in the face. Poor guy! BF also said he is MASSIVE. He was trying on some shirt, and it was a bit too tight. He asked for a larger size and the store associate said that unfortunately they did not carry the shirt in XXX-L. EKKS! BIG! Also some insight into the Irish rugby team, apparently G-Star, the jean brand, is popular with the rugby team since they can fit their muscle-y thighs into them. If you're looking to spot one, perhaps hang out in the Dundrum shop?
In case you have been living under a rock- or not in Ireland :)- Jedward are two talentless but lovable twins who were contestants on the X-Factor. This would be the US equivalent of running into Adam Lambert. The girls were singing JedWard's "Hit" song - Under Pressure which is indeed a remake of David Bowie's song with the Vanilla Ice's twist. err... Yes I do have it on my ipod. For shame!
I waited a bit since I was there early and managed to get a glimpse of them. They are ridiculous! ;) They came out of arrivals jumping up and down like they do on the X Factor and one even did a cartwheel before they got mobbed by fans. Fun fun!
Here's the best shot I could get with my camera. Their hair is actually about 5 inches high. Impressive! Can you spot one of them in this picture? It's kind of hard to see, so I thought I would help you out.
I texted BF to let him know because last time he was at the airport he sat next to Colm Meaney, a popular Irish actor and JedWard certainly beats Colm Meaney.
But then, on Sunday I got a text from BF that he ran into Paul O'Connell at the G-Star store in Dundrum shopping center. Paul is a member of the Irish Rugby team who played this week in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament. BF said he looked the worse for wear from the match and was a bit bruised in the face. Poor guy! BF also said he is MASSIVE. He was trying on some shirt, and it was a bit too tight. He asked for a larger size and the store associate said that unfortunately they did not carry the shirt in XXX-L. EKKS! BIG! Also some insight into the Irish rugby team, apparently G-Star, the jean brand, is popular with the rugby team since they can fit their muscle-y thighs into them. If you're looking to spot one, perhaps hang out in the Dundrum shop?
February 5, 2010
There's no place like home...
It's Hollywood day here at work and well to be fair, no work is really getting done! It's a full day affair with red carpets in the hallways and a themed drinking session at 5:00 with PROSECCO (as opposed to the normal wine and beer)!
For lunch, they served the most adorable things like
Lord of the Onion Rings
Silence of the Lambs
Fried Green Tomatoes
A Fish called Wanda
So cute! They even made Oscar shaped puff pastries. There are some fab costumes, including a whole team dressed as the 101 Dalmatians (there's about 10) with one Cruella Di Ville, Harry Potter, Hermoine and the Gang and one team even dressed up as the Hollywood sign. Amazing!
I had a hard time coming up with a costume. I was going to go as Audrey Hepburn, then thought about Tom Cruise's character in Risky Business then I thought about being an Oompa Loompa. I ended up being Dorothy cause I was able to pull together a great costume with a skirt from H&M.
Here are some pics:
ACTION!
Me and some of the Dalmatians
Hollywood!
Me and the "Y"
When Dalmatians attack
For lunch, they served the most adorable things like
Lord of the Onion Rings
Silence of the Lambs
Fried Green Tomatoes
A Fish called Wanda
So cute! They even made Oscar shaped puff pastries. There are some fab costumes, including a whole team dressed as the 101 Dalmatians (there's about 10) with one Cruella Di Ville, Harry Potter, Hermoine and the Gang and one team even dressed up as the Hollywood sign. Amazing!
I had a hard time coming up with a costume. I was going to go as Audrey Hepburn, then thought about Tom Cruise's character in Risky Business then I thought about being an Oompa Loompa. I ended up being Dorothy cause I was able to pull together a great costume with a skirt from H&M.
Here are some pics:
ACTION!
Me and some of the Dalmatians
Hollywood!
Me and the "Y"
When Dalmatians attack
February 4, 2010
All Belly
Not pregnant
Pregnant
How cute!?!? My sister sent these pictures to me this morning. She's 6 months along and looks like she literally has stuffed a basketball under her shirt. SO CUTE! I can't wait to see her at the end of March for her baby shower.
Pregnant
How cute!?!? My sister sent these pictures to me this morning. She's 6 months along and looks like she literally has stuffed a basketball under her shirt. SO CUTE! I can't wait to see her at the end of March for her baby shower.
February 2, 2010
Two ships in the night
After a week away and a 24 hour flight, I thought I would be nice and meet up with BF at the airport. His flight was arriving at 3:45 so I figured, I would arrive at 4:00 and it would be perfect timing since he had to go through passport and get his bags.
I got there at 4:00 and pulled my book out for a read while waiting for him. The time passed quickly as the book was very interesting. My phone rang around 4:30 and it was BF! Yeah! Our conversation below:
Me: Hi BF! Welcome home!
BF: Hi. Where are you? (He was nicer, but I'm sure you don't want to hear the sappiness!)
Me: I'm just outside the arrivals gate. You can't miss me, I got a front row waiting seat.
BF: Are you serious?
Me: Um... yes.
BF: I'm at HOME.
BALLS! His flight got in early (I didn't check) and he was waiting for awhile and his phone wasn't charged so he figured I wasn't coming. A trip to the airport and back for NOTHING!!
I got there at 4:00 and pulled my book out for a read while waiting for him. The time passed quickly as the book was very interesting. My phone rang around 4:30 and it was BF! Yeah! Our conversation below:
Me: Hi BF! Welcome home!
BF: Hi. Where are you? (He was nicer, but I'm sure you don't want to hear the sappiness!)
Me: I'm just outside the arrivals gate. You can't miss me, I got a front row waiting seat.
BF: Are you serious?
Me: Um... yes.
BF: I'm at HOME.
BALLS! His flight got in early (I didn't check) and he was waiting for awhile and his phone wasn't charged so he figured I wasn't coming. A trip to the airport and back for NOTHING!!
February 1, 2010
Girly Night Out
With BF away for the week, I finished of my week of girliness with pink cocktails and fancy dress (not costumes but dress up/ going out clothes). Friday night, the gals and I headed to our friend's house for a round of really girly drinks. When we were properly jolly, we headed to meet some friends at the 51 which is a local pub near the friend's house.
After several rounds of drinks where we thought we were still 21 years old (JaegerBombs and Baby Guinness), we headed to a local dancing hot spot. There was a group of about 15-20 of us so we grabbed a spot on the dance floor and boogied the night away.
Pre-Drinks
Work Mates!
After several rounds of drinks where we thought we were still 21 years old (JaegerBombs and Baby Guinness), we headed to a local dancing hot spot. There was a group of about 15-20 of us so we grabbed a spot on the dance floor and boogied the night away.
Pre-Drinks
Work Mates!
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